The safety sensors are a crucial part of your garage door opening system. They serve to detect obstructions and prevent the door from closing in order to keep you and your property safe. However, your garage door sensors need proper alignment if they are to work properly.
While it’s always advisable to reach out to reliable garage door repair services in San Diego if you encounter any problems, it’s also a good idea to be familiar with the most important garage door troubleshooting procedures and know your best course of action in case of garage door emergency. Read on to find out more about garage door sensors and learn how to adjust them properly.
How do I know if my garage sensors are aligned?
Improperly aligned sensors can result in a number of closing and opening issues with your door. For instance, your garage door may start to reverse before even reaching the floor or refuse to close all the way. While there may be other culprits responsible for these situations, they often result from blocked or misaligned sensors. If you notice no debris or any other obstructions in your sensors’ path, you will probably have to realign them in order to fix the issue.
Do both garage door sensors need to be green?
Your garage door has sending and receiving sensors with LED lights that should glow steadily if there are no issues with the alignment. The lights on of these types of sensors will be green if there are no obstructions or misalignment. Some newer garage door models also have a sending sensor that has an amber light which should be on regardless of these issues. If the green lights don’t work or start flashing, you will most likely need to realign the sensors.
How do I adjust my garage door sensors?
Before you attempt to realign the sensors, you should try adjusting the photo eye lens manually and see if it lights up. If not, follow these steps:
- Cut the power off: while you won’t be working on any electrical wiring, it’s definitely safer to align the sensors with the power off to prevent accidental activation of the garage door opener system.
- Locate the sensors: on most modern garage doors, the safety sensors are located near the tracks on both sides of the garage door, usually not higher than 6 inches above the floor.
- Loosen the screws: once you’ve located the sensors, use a screwdriver to loosen both wing nuts slightly in order to be able to reposition the sensors. Make sure not to loosen the screws too far or remove them completely.
- Level the sensors: carefully align the safety sensors so that their lenses point towards each other and start glowing steadily. You can also try tying a string between two sensor brackets tightly and use a level to check if the alignment is correct.
- Tighten the nuts and test: once you’ve aligned the sensors and achieved a steady glow of the LED lights, use your screwdriver to tighten the nuts in place. Turn the power on and use your remote control to check if the door closes properly, and you’re done.
Schedule dependable garage door repair services in San Diego
While they may seem relatively simple, garage door opener systems rely on quite complicated mechanisms to ensure proper performance of your door. If you have trouble aligning your sensors by following the steps above, don’t try to inspect the issue any further on your own. Instead, seek assistance from trustworthy garage door technicians at Dlouhy Garage Doors. We handle all types of garage door repairs to restore your peace of mind.
Whether you live near Old Town, Downtown San Diego, or anywhere else in the area, you can rely on our technicians to provide expert assistance and guidance with all your garage door problems. Reach out to us today!